Oceanographer David Karl elected to National Academy of Sciences

HONOLULU — The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced the election of 72 new members and 18 foreign associates in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Included in this list of notables is David M. Karl from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer.

"Dr. Karl's research on microorganisms in the ocean has vastly increased the world's realization of just how vital the seas are to the health of our planet," said SOEST Interim Dean Klaus Keil. "We are delighted to count him as one of our most distinguished scientists in SOEST."

Karl has received several other honors in recent years. In October of 2004 he received the highest honor of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Henry Bryant Bigelow Award in Oceanography. He was also designated the Chancellor‘s Distinguished Lecturer of Louisiana State University in September, 2005. This was followed in November of 2005 by the David Packard Medal from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), given as a means to recognize outstanding achievements and leadership in the field of Marine Science.

"For the second year in a row the National Academy of Sciences has seen fit to bestow this honor upon one of our faculty members," said Manoa Vice Chancellor for Research Gary Ostrander. "This does not come as a great surprise when one considers the contributions Dr. Karl has made to the field of Oceanography over many years. We are indeed fortunate to have him on our faculty."

Karl received a bachelor's degree in biology from the State University College at Buffalo, New York, in 1971, a master's degree in biological oceanography from Florida State University in 1974, and a Ph.D. degree in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, in 1978. He joined the faculty of the University of Hawaii as an assistant professor of oceanography in 1978 and was promoted to his current position of professor of oceanography in 1987. He has been a member of the affiliate faculty of the Bermuda Biological Station for Research since 1995. In the course of his career, Karl has spent more than three full years at sea, including 23 expeditions to Antarctica.

The election was held Tuesday morning during the business session of the 143rd annual meeting of the Academy. "Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in American science and engineering," said Ralph Cicerone, who became president of the Academy in 2005. Barbara Schaal, an NAS member since 1999 who was elected last year as the academy's first woman vice president, noted, "This year's new class represents outstanding accomplishment in a wide variety of disciplines."

About the National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is an honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. It was created by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Its members serve as principal science advisors to the U.S. Government. The Academy‘s service to government has become so essential that Congress and the White House have issued legislation and executive orders over the years that reaffirm its unique role.

About the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at ManoaThe School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was established by the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii in 1988. SOEST brings together in a single focused ocean, earth sciences and technology group, some of the nation‘s highest quality academic departments, research institutes, federal cooperative programs, and support facilities to meet challenges in the ocean and earth sciences. Scientists at SOEST are supported by both state and federal funds as they endeavor to understand the subtle and complex interrelations of the seas, the atmosphere, and the earth. Visit www.soest.hawaii.edu for more information.